Asking out strangers

Usually we ask girls out we know to some degree, friends of friends, etc. But I find that since college, I don't know most of the girls I want to ask out. What is the most successful way to ask these girls out? Three candidates:

1.Girl at grocery store-Rocker/skater chick. She helped me find an item one time and had a sexy smile and laugh. I think she goes to college, looks 21-23. I find myself stupidly going to the grocery store for no reason at all and end up buying 1 thing that is not crucial.

2.Girl at work-I kind of know her, talked to her casually a couple of times. We work in different departments(me-R&D, her-sales). I think she might be an intern. Or a new grad. Either 22 or 23. Kind and good-hearted girl. Only problem is she smokes. Never been with a girl who smokes regularly, I wonder if it's gross.

3.Girl at gym-Athletic chick. 5'8, doesn't weigh more than 120lbs but can squat 145 lbs, which I found incredibly sexy since she was in tights that showed her nice ass and toned legs. A bit of a tomboy so I can probably talk sports with her. Probably lowerclassman in college, looks 19/20 yrs old.

I am 28 and consider myself a diverse person in terms of interests, but most people "label" me as an athletic/clean cut type because of my build and dress. Usually in a professional setting I wear a lot of Banana and Ralph Lauren, otherwise I dress in skate/surf/plain ts and blue jeans. Most people also say I look like I still go to college because everyone in my family looks super young.

Results in situations like this depend greatly on looks, personality, and location. In general, quieter, less flashy women respond worse to flirty strangers than do other women (controlling somewhat for physical attractiveness). And only men who are good-looking and have "game" have a decent success rate with attractive, unfamiliar women.

As we all know, it's a numbers game. You'll most likely fail with all three, either by being too nervous or they already have somebody. In terms of asking them out, you just need to find a moment or opportunity when you're not nervous and then just say anything, with a confident smile. If she's interested she'll respond accordingly and it will be easy, if she's not and it's awkward then just stop... you can't make these things work by saying something specific or clever. It's all intuition.

"Hey, you look cute, and you were [reading a book similar to x preference of mine, watching x movie that's a favorite of mine, whatever caught your eye about her] and would you like to go for a drink?"

Not that hard really, especially if you realize that people send off a lot of signals, consciously and unconsciously, and that you can read them both consciously and unconsciously, and that we're actually not awful at determining who might be compatible personality-wise. Tell her she's cute, tell her what shared interest caught your eye, and ask her out for a drink.

Can't agree with this one, unless she's borderline not-cute in which case she'll appreciate it. Attractive chicks already know what they are, have dealt with people pointing it out/harassing them their whole life, and will be turned off by a guy that isn't empathetic enough to realize this.

As we all know, it's a numbers game. You'll most likely fail with all three, either by being too nervous or they already have somebody. In terms of asking them out, you just need to find a moment or opportunity when you're not nervous and then just say anything, with a confident smile. If she's interested she'll respond accordingly and it will be easy, if she's not and it's awkward then just stop... you can't make these things work by saying something specific or clever. It's all intuition.

Can't agree with this one, unless she's borderline not-cute in which case she'll appreciate it. Attractive chicks already know what they are, have dealt with people pointing it out/harassing them their whole life, and will be turned off by a guy that isn't empathetic enough to realize this.

I totally agree. But the rest should work. Discuss mutual interest and ask her out for a drink.

i was in the same boat as you buddy....out of college, women in clubs/bars in my home town just didn't respond the same, and i do have some game, and i really am a good looking clean cut guy.

so one day i said F it, my life is now a movie, i see a pretty girl, am able to strike up a conversation, i ask them out. sometimes they say no, sometimes they give you the wrong number, sometime they say yes, EVERYTIME they are flattered ;) (if you do it right, get a little too ballsy and things can go sour lol) and most times you end up having a lot of fun doing it.

use this rule of thumb, if you ever think you should ask a girl out, stop thinking, and do it.

your 28 years old man, dive in, start dicking around and have some fun before your the "old creepy guy" and people stop waiving your actions off as you just being a young guy having some fun.

Just start striking up informal conversations with each of the girls and go from there. If you share chemistry with one of the girls and the conversation flows freely and easily then perhaps work on getting to know her better. Just beware that some of the girls may be interested in guys their own age as they seem to be college girls and in a different stage of life to you. Anyhow if you don't strike up conversations with these girls you'll never know. Best of luck! ;-)